Monday, January 15, 2018

Martin Luther King Weekend Reflections- To remember, to reclaim, and todream !




Good Evening Beloved Community,

Happy Missional Monday! As we bring this year's MLK weekend to a close many thoughts keep rolling around in my head. How do we stop looking to the past while focusing on the present and future? I came to the conclusion that we look back as touchstones and as mileage markers. The past sometimes can be seen as places of comfort, modeling, and as sacred reminders of how far we must travel on our sacred social justice pilgrimage for total and complete unity with love at its very center. We do this every year with all our sacred and secular holidays as well. Our question for pondering this evening is this: What personal holidays do you find yourselves looking back upon the most? We all need to find in each of these holidays a missional focus that will draw us out of our complacency into action. What kind of missional focus do you find within our yearly celebration or Martin Luther King? Where is it leading you ? Is it a place of change, unity, and purpose? Those are our missional questions I would like us to carry with us throughout the week as we make pilgrimage. Tonight or if you are reading this in the morning today, we make sacred vigil to remember, to be present, and to dream into the future where there is unity, love, and universal human rights for all.

Let us begin with these opening quotes:







Let us light our candles and make holy vigil to remember the past, reclaim our present, and boldly dream into the future with love, hope, mercy, justice, and peace.


Siyahamba ( We are walking in the light of God) Traditional
(Text in brackets as a rhythmic echo for punctuation/response as in the African tradition)
1.
We are walking in the light of God, we are walking in the light of God,
we are walking in the light of God, we are walking in the light of God. (The light of God)
Chorus
We are walking, (Walking)
we are walking (oh )
we are walking in the light of God. We are walking, (Walking)
we are walking (oh,)
we are walking in the light of God.
2.
We are learning in the love of God, we are learning in the love of God, we are learning in the love of God, we are learning in the love of God. (The love of God)
Chorus
We are learning, (learning)
we are learning (oh )
we are learning in the light of God. We are learning, (learning)
we are learning,(oh,)
we are learning in the light of God.
3.
We are loving in the power of God, we are loving in the power of God, we are loving in the power of God, we are loving in the power of God. (The power of God)
Chorus
We are loving , (loving)
we are loving (oh )
we are loving in the light of God. We are loving , (loving )
we are loving (oh,)
we are loving in the light of God. 
We are singing in the light of God, we are singing in the light of God, we are singing in the light of God, we are singing in the light of God. (The light of God)
Chorus
We are singing, (singing)
we are singing (oh )
we are singing in the light of God We are singing , (singing )
we are singing (oh,)
we are singing in the light of God.
5.
Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwenkhos', Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwenkhos', Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwenkhos', Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwen-, (Khanyen' kwenkhos',)
Chorus
Siyahamba, (hamba,)
Siyahamba, (hamba,)
Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwenkhos'. Siyahamba,( hamba),
Siyahamba,( hamba),
Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwenkhos'.
Repeat verses and chorus as directed
Ending to repeat chorus in English and Zulu as directed
We are singing, (singing) we are singing (oh) we are singing in the light of God.
We are singing, (singing) we are singing (oh) we are singing in the light of God.
Siyahamba, (hamba),
Siyahamba,( hamba),
Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwenkhos'. Siyahamba, (hamba),
Siyahamba, (hamba),
Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwenkhos'. 


Smudging Prayer
Creator,
our Father in heaven,
we come to you as your children.
We confess that we are weak and broken images of you.
We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ. May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies.
We pray that your Holy Spirit will help us to worship in spirit and truth. 
We pray in the name of Jesus, so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you. Amen. 




Psalm 77:11–20

Voce mea ad Dominum
11 I will remember the works of the Lord, *
and call to mind your wonders of old time.
12 I will meditate on all your acts *
and ponder your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy; *
who is so great a god as our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders *
and have declared your power among the peoples.
15 By your strength you have redeemed your people, *
the children of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters saw you, O God;
the waters saw you and trembled; *
the very depths were shaken.
17 The clouds poured out water;
the skies thundered; *
your arrows flashed to and fro;
18 The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the world; *
the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was in the sea,
and your paths in the great waters, *
yet your footsteps were not seen.
20 You led your people like a flock *
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.


Genesis 37:17b–20

Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Ephesians 6:10–20

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Luke 6:27–36

Jesus said, “I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Almighty God, by the hand of Moses your servant you led your people out of slavery, and made them free at last: Grant that your Church, following the example of your prophet Martin Luther King, may resist oppression in the name of your love, and may secure for all your children the blessed liberty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.



Christ Has No Body. by Teresa of Avila.

Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks. Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

James Weldon Johnson
LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING LYRICS
Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and
Heaven ring
Ring with the harmonies of
Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise,
High as
The list'ning skies, let it resound loud as the
Rolling sea
Sing a song full of the faith that the
Dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of
The hope that the present has brought
Us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day
Begun,
Let us march on till victory is
Won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the
Chast'ning rod,
Felt in the day that hope
Unborn had died;
Yet with a steady
Beat,
Have not our weary feet,
Come to the
Place on which our fathers sighed?
We have
Come over a way that with tears has been
Watered,
We have come, treading our path
Through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from
The gloomy past, till now we stand at
Last
Where the white gleam of our star is
Cast.

God of our weary years,
God of
Our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus
Far on the way;
Thou who has by thy
Might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us
Forever in the path, we pray
Lest our feet
Stray from the places, our God, where we met
Thee,
Least our hearts, drunk with the wine of
The world, we forget thee,
Shadowed beneath the
Hand,
May we forever stand,
Tru to our
God,
True to our native land



Peace prayer by Maya Angelou

Father, Mother, God,
Thank you for your presence
during the hard and mean days.
For then we have you to lean upon.
Thank you for your presence
during the bright and sunny days,
for then we can share that which we have
with those who have less.
And thank you for your presence
during the Holy Days, for then we are able
to celebrate you and our families
and our friends.
For those who have no voice,
we ask you to speak.
For those who feel unworthy,
we ask you to pour your love out
in waterfalls of tenderness.
For those who live in pain,
we ask you to bathe them
in the river of your healing.
For those who are lonely, we ask
you to keep them company.
For those who are depressed,
we ask you to shower upon them
the light of hope.
Dear Creator, You, the borderless
sea of substance, we ask you to give to all the
world that which we need most—Peace.
A prayer Attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.



The Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek:
for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful:
for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

.


Prayer for World Peace - Sister Joan Chittister, OSB
Great God, who has told us
"Vengeance is mine,"
save us from ourselves,
save us from the vengeance in our hearts
and the acid in our souls.


Save us from our desire to hurt as we have been hurt,
to punish as we have been punished,
to terrorize as we have been terrorized.


Give us the strength it takes
to listen rather than to judge,
to trust rather than to fear,
to try again and again
to make peace even when peace eludes us.

We ask, O God, for the grace
to be our best selves.
We ask for the vision
to be builders of the human community
rather than its destroyers.
We ask for the humility as a people
to understand the fears and hopes of other peoples.

We ask for the love it takes
to bequeath to the children of the world to come
more than the failures of our own making.
We ask for the heart it takes
to care for all the peoples
of Afghanistan and Iraq, of Palestine and Israel
as well as for ourselves.

Give us the depth of soul, O God,
to constrain our might,
to resist the temptations of power
to refuse to attack the attackable,
to understand
that vengeance begets violence,
and to bring peace--not war--wherever we go.

For You, O God, have been merciful to us.
For You, O God, have been patient with us.
For You, O God, have been gracious to us.

And so may we be merciful
and patient
and gracious
and trusting
with these others whom you also love.

This we ask through Jesus,
the one without vengeance in his heart.
This we ask forever and ever. Amen

For the Human Family
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.

For Peace
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn
but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the
strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that
all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of
Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and
glory, now and for ever. Amen


For Peace Among the Nations
Almighty God our heavenly Father, guide the nations of the
world into the way of justice and truth, and establish among
them that peace which is the fruit of righteousness, that they
may become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.

. For our Enemies
O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love
our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth;
deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in
your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For those who suffer for the sake of Conscience
O God our Father, whose Son forgave his enemies while he
was suffering shame and death: Strengthen those who suffer
for the sake of conscience; when they are accused, save them
from speaking in hate; when they are rejected, save them
from bitterness; when they are imprisoned, save them from
despair; and to us your servants, give grace to respect their
witness and to discern the truth, that our society may be
cleansed and strengthened. This we ask for the sake of Jesus
Christ, our merciful and righteous Judge. Amen

For Social Justice

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 In Times of Conflict
O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us,
in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront
one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work
together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.



Let us pray in the Key of Jesus and Ring the Bells of El Camino Real for those who fought for  justice, peace, and equality.

     We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.
Jesus we pray and give thanks for Martin Luther King Jr. and his witness to all of our family members who were longing for justice in this their distant home and land that we take for granted.
     We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for Mahatma Gandhi who taught us how to protest non-violently Help us to follow Your and His Model  and use our words  to make peace and cry out for the voiceless.
We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray  and give thanks for all who gave their lives in the Stonewall riots to help pave the way for LGBTQ rights and the rights of those who are afraid to live authentically. May we see God in each of us who are in the LGBTQ community, who are family, allies, and friends , be enfolded into the mainstream community with out fear and labeling.
     We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for Elizabeth Cady Stanton and all of our sisters who fought for the rights of women so that they would no longer be property but full and perfect members of  society and examples of citizenry to their sons and daughters. We pray that all of our sisters may have full protection and rights securely given them.
     We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for all of our family members who were interned in the Japanese internment camps at Manzanar and Santa Anita. We pray for their contributions to our society and ask for their forgiveness for the wrongs we may have done out of fear and mistrust.

 We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for the witness of all our Native and Indigenous Martyrs who were here in their homelands of origin in this country We pray for forgiveness for the wrongs we have done to them and remember the trail of tears that took them away from places they call home and became refugees in strange and distant lands. We remember this night all of our family members who are refugees. We pray that they may one day return home as You , Mary, and Joseph left Egypt for Nazareth.
We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for Malala and all children who speak truth to power. We pray for all our children that they may be protected from harm. May all of our youth look to Malala for hope and a role model of what one child can do. We pray this in the Key of Jesus!

Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for Cesar Chavez and all those who fought for the farm worker and for the rights and protection of those who put food on our tables.
We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for those who have died in the struggle for justice, equality, inclusion, and universal human rights.

We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for all the many witnesses that we have not named but you know them all may we remember them now_____________________________

We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for this night especially for ________________________

We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Forgiveness,Justice, Peace, Human kindness, and most especially love,  for all of our family members now. We pray this in the name of Jesus who came to unite us in love, forgiveness, and serve to and speak  for  the least of these. Amen.


or these:


We Join together in prayer

We join our hearts with all of our brothers and sisters all over the world God as your family of love, peace, and mercy to pray for our family members who have become refugees, outcasts, and the persecuted.
We join our hands and hearts in love and pray for peace. God may we with you become peace makers.
We join our hands, feet, eyes, ears, and voices in service to you God.
We join our voices to speak truth to power and to speak out for the least of these.
We join our minds to help become the educated Children of God.
We join our hands and hearts in prayers for those who have come to us asking for prayers on behalf of others.
We join our hearts in prayer with those who mourn and those who are keeping vigil at the bedside of their loved ones who are transitioning into the glorious Heavenly Thin Places.
We join our voices, hands, feet, and minds to speak out for health care, human rights, the homeless, the hungry and the lost, Help us to feed these hungry hearts with courage and love.
We join our prayers for those who are dying and those who have died today.
We join our bodies to help become stewards of God's Cathedral of life.
We join our hearts in love and pray for an end to hate and violence.
We join together to pray that there may be an end to war and terror in this Your Fragile and broken world O God.
We join together to add our prayers, thanksgivings, celebrations, and remembrances to you now O God. Accept these our prayers in the Name of your only Son Jesus. Amen.


The Song of Simeon Nunc dimittis
Luke 2:29-32

Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations, *
and the glory of your people Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Wisdom of God the Love of God and the Grace of God strengthen us to be Christ’s hands and heart in this world,in the name of the Holy Trinity. Amen.(source: Celtic)



The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.
Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in
believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Romans 15:13

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely
more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from
generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus
for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20, 21


Good Night Dear Ones! Go out and make a difference in this world. Don't be afraid to be seen, speak out, and keep on, keeping on, and persisting. God is calling and depending upon us to do this. I love you and give thanks to God your you this night and always.


+++++



With love, peace, and blessings,

Sara

Resources:
Enriching Our Worship
Book of Common Prayer
Bible Gateway
Quote sites for Prayers








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